Your body has a great deal to do during pregnancy. Sometimes the changes taking place will cause irritation or discomfort, and on occasions they may seem quite alarming. There is rarely any need for alarm but you should mention anything that is worrying you to your maternity team. Bodily changes are common during pregnancy. But wait you glance down at your legs and you found one of the many changes. Yes I’m talking of those little, visible red blood vessels with barbed lines branching out. They’re common on the legs and face, especially during pregnancy. So you want to question me about this, about what’s the deal with spider veins?
They’re not pretty, but they’re mostly harmless. During pregnancy, your blood volume increases, while the rate of the blood flow from your legs to the pelvis substantially decreases. This puts pressure on the veins, which can cause them to swell up. This change in circulation is designed to support the growing fetus and prepare the body for labor and delivery, but it can produce the unfortunate side effect of enlarged veins in your legs.Not only the blood volume factor but also your hormones add to it. Your hormones raging at their highest peak during this time of your life do lead to the spider veins. And genetics can predispose you to spider veins too. So females don’t forget to thank your mama’s.
Guide for Spider Veins During Pregnancy
Symptoms
It is usually a temporary side effect of pregnancy that improves within three or four months after giving birth. But in the meantime you can follow the given regime to prevent them and reduce their appearance.
Symptoms include:
- All veins dilate with increasing gestation.
- Burning
- Painful legs
- Swollen feet
- Throbbing muscle cramping
- Color change and hardening of veins
- Itching around your swollen veins
Prevention
- Fill up your diet on fiber. High-fiber in your foods of your diet, since constipation (another all-too-common pregnancy symptom) can contribute to swollen veins. Good options for regularity of unrestricted bowel movement include fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains like bran.
- In a healthy pregnancy diet vitamin C should be included as your body uses it to manufacture collagen and elastin which are two important connective tissues that help repair and maintain veins.
- Work it out. A little exercise can work wonders. Exercise will help improve your leg strength, circulation and elasticity of the vein. Keep your weight under check so that you don’t pressurize the legs.
- Try not to be on your feet for long. If you have to sit for a long time, stand up and take short walks around every half hour or so.
- Try not to sit in positions like cross legged which can restrict your blood flow to the legs
- Stay away from tight pants and clothes.
- Swimming, walking, cycling, yoga, and stretching are all beneficial too
- Include food rich in potassium, example almonds and yoghurts.
If you have symptoms or are concerned about the appearance of spider veins, doctor will advise for a treatment options which includes:
Sclerotherapy
Herein your doctor injects the veins with a solution that scars and closes those veins, causing the blood to reroute through healthier veins. Treatment of the correct vessels can improve the symptoms of venous insufficiency. In a few weeks, treated spider veins fade.
Laser surgery
A newer, less-invasive technique that uses a laser to seal off bulging and uncomfortable veins appears to work about as well as the standard surgery to remove the damaged vessels. In this it works by sending strong bursts of light into the vein that make the vein slowly fade and disappear. No incisions or needles are used.
Simple home remedies and a healthy lifestyle can help relieve variable symptoms of varicose veins, spider veins and chronic venous insufficiency. However, the research on most alternative treatments is still ongoing.
